Magnetic belt trainer



April 5 A. F. KAIN MAGNETIC BELT TRAINER Original Filed Feb. 28, 1962 Ar/fiur Kai/7 INVENTOR.

BY Cf JTTOP/VEY United States Patent This is a division of my parent application entitled Magnetic Belt and Trainer, Serial No. 176,386 filed February 28, 1962, now Patent No. 3,169,632, and is filed,

in response to a requirement for restriction thereof.

This application is a companion to my copending application Serial No. 318,121, filed October 22, 1963, entitled Training Methods and Means, which relates to the use of magnetically responsive means, particularly adapted for maintaining a predetermined path of travel for conveyor belts. This present application partakes of the objects, features and advantages of said copendlng application which is included herein and forms a part hereof by reference.

In my copending application there was disclosed the concept of secuning magnetic responsive means to conveyor belts for reaction to fixed magnets in the preferred path of travel of a belt in such manner as to maintain the path of travel of the belt in the path defined by the fixed magnets. Two forms of magnetic means are therein disclosed; in one, a thin flat flexible strip or band of ferrous material, such as steel or black iron, is inserted between the plies of a belt, and in the other form there was suggested the insertion of particulate ferrous material, such as iron filings or the like, to respond in a similar matter for restraining the belt to follow a path of travel as defined by the fixed magnets. Both of these forms of the inventionare effective and efficient, experimental use having established the commercially practical aspects of the basic concept.

It has been found, however, that the use of stranded flexible magnetic responsive means, such as twisted cable or flat woven magnetically responsive cable, may be preferable in that in response to abrupt lateral changes of direction of the belt in following the course defined by the magnets, a continuous solid band of ferrous material may buckle. Particulate matter, such as iron filings, may appropriately respond to the fixed magnets to train the belt. However, there appears to be an inherent danger in the use of such particulate matter which in the course of belt flexing might work itself into or throughrthe plies of the belt to deteriorate the belt internally. In this connection it is to be noted that not only in the use may the belt be flexed laterally, but of even greater significance is rough handling of the belt by the manufacturer and in shipment, as well as upon installation. As a further aid in permitting lateral distortion of the belt from the normal, it is here suggested that the runs of the twisted or Woven wire cables be discontinuous so that separate flights of cable may effectively provide the desired magnetic field without imposing limitations on the normal physical characteristics of the belt.

It is thus a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved magnetically responsive belt in which the magnetic means are fully flexible to accommodate lateral deviations of the belt as well as flexure in its longitudinal plane. More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a magnetic belt in which the magnetically responsive means is constituted by a flexible cable, either as one or more strands of twisted wire or a flat cable formed of woven Wire. In one preferred form of the invention here illustrated, a plurality of parallel twisted wire cables are provided lying in side by side contact transversely central of the belt. Another object is to provide flexible magnetic means ice manent deformation of suchmeans by lateral twist of the belt. Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the present invention may be apparent from consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the, accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective View of one embodiment of the invention with one of the plies of the belt out to expose one form of the flux conveying means for the belt, and illustrating the relative position of the magnets, 7

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conveyor belt of the woven carcass type with which the flexible magnetically responsive means is incorporated and illustrating an adjustable mountingfor the magnetic flux producing magnets,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a flat flexible woven wire magnetically responsive means associated with the belt for conveying magnetic flux, and

FIG. 4 is a somewhat schematic side elevation showing supporting means for the conveyor belt in its travel.

Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, the flexible belt itself is generally indicated bythe numeral 10. The belt here shown is illustrated as including upper and lower relatively thin plies of fabric indicated by thenumerals 11 and 12 respectively and a central thicker ply 13. All of the plies are united by vulcanizing thereon and therethrough friction rubber to form a relatively thick outer material carrying layer 14, intermediate: layers 15 and 16 and a lower thinner internal face 17L It will, of course, be understood that while the type of belt. here illustrated is admirably suited for the insertion therein of magnetically responsive means in the manner hereinafter described, the invention is by no means limited tothe particular type of belt, the number of fabric plies, the relative thickness of the friction rubber and such other characteristics as here disclosed. The invention as herein set forth, is of course, amenable to various diverse structures of belting and methods and means of incorporating a flexible magnetic responsive means therein.

In that form of the inventionshown in FIGURE 1, the flux conducting magnetically responsive means is in the form of a plurality of parallel cables 18. The individual cables 18 here shown are each composed of a plurality of thin Wires twisted in typical cable forming fashion. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, which is contemplated for commercial adaptation, l8 cables of such plural strands may provide a transverse width of approximately one inch in the center of the belt. 'The cables 13 are here shown as located in the plane of the central thicker play which has been centrally and longitudinally cut away to receive the cables as here indicated. The cables v18 are integrally engaged in the plane of the central ply through the vulcanization of the friction rubber throughout the belt. In order to avoid excess strain on the cables or mutilation of the belt carcass by undue twisting of the cables in response to lateral adjustment of the belt by magnetic force, the cables are formed as independent sets of parallel cables preferably In that form of the invention shown in FIGURE 2, the

belt is generally indicated by the numeral 311 and in this eaienred n r. 20, 1965 case a belt of the woven carcass type is provided. The fabric of the carcass is indicated by the numeral 31 while the friction rubber bonded to and through the carcass, as by vulcanization, is indicated by the numeral 32. Since this type of belt is not amenable to the disruption of the carcass for the insertion of magnetically responsive means, in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 1, the cables may be placed against the under face of the friction rubber 32 and adhered thereto and secured in position by vulcanization of an extended portion of friction rubber covering over the cables 34 to form an integral structure.

In FIGURE 2 the magnet 35 is shown as mounted in the trough of a U-shaped rail 36, the arrangement being such as to provide both vertical and transverse adjustment of the magnet with respect to the under face of the belt. Through the vertical sides of the rail 36 horizontal transverse adjusting screws 37 are provided for laterally shifting the magnet 35 while vertical adjusting screws 38 provide for determining the vertical location of the magnet.

As indicated in FIGURE 3 the flux conducting magnetically responsive means for the belt may be in the form of a flux conveying flexible cable 40 formed of interwoven thin ferrous wires 41. As with the cables 18 the flat cable 40 is freely flexible longitudinally with the belt and may be diverted transversely with the belt without buckle or damage to the belt structure per se. Such flat cables may, however, have the added ability of longitudinal stretch and thus may not require the spacing wheel 42, rotatable on its axis 43. The rim of the wheel may enclose a stationary magnet with vertical poles or may be formed from arcuate magnetic segments. Frictional engagement of the top surface of the wheel with the belt flight as it moves to the right, as indicated by the arrows, will induce clockwise rotation of the wheel, as indicated by its arrow. As in a conventional manner a troughing roller, indicated at 44, is provided for the upper material-conveying flight of the conveyor.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides a magnetically responsive flux transmitting means which is transversely as well as longitudi- I nally flexible without permanent distortion. With respect to both round cables and flat cables, they may readily be incorporated in multiple ply belts as in FIGURE 1 or in woven carcass cables indicated in FIGURE 2. In both instances some longitudinal stretch is permitted although such stretch is more pronounced in the flat woven cable of the form shown in FIGURE 3. The invention is not limited to the magnetically responsive means above but contemplates the combination of such means with many and various types of belts such as shown with the ply belt of FIGURE 1 or the woven carcass belt of FIGURE 2. Further, the invention embraces the combination of such magnetic means in such belts with fixed magnets and is s also concerned with the adjustable mounting of the magnets as for instance in the manner shown in FIGURE 2.

It will, of course be understood that in the practice of the invention many changes, modifications and the full use of equivalents may be resorted to without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention, as outlined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A magnetic belt trainer comprising, in combination, a multi-ply conveyor belt having incorporated between the plies a centrally arranged series of narrow, elongated flexible strips of closely spaced, longitudinally aligned, magnetically responsive material extending lengthwise of the belt, means for supporting the belt in its travel, said belt being laterally unconfined, and magnet means of a width comparable with that of the strips and fixedly supported independently below and closely related to the under surface of the belt, whereby during travel of the belt, said strips will tend to pass in predetermined relation to the magnet means through its magnetic field, thereby tending to maintain the belt from deviation from a fixed path of travel.

2. A magnetic belt trainer, as defined in claim 1, in which the narrow strips are yieldable transversely in the plane of the belt as well as longitudinally of the belt to accommodate lateral deviations of the belt as well as I flexure in its longitudinal plane.

References (Iited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,114,517 4/38 Apel et al. 74-237 2,575,813 11/51 Hutchins. 2,684,753 7/54 Kolbe et al 19841 X 2,881,901 4/59 Zimmer 19841 FOREIGN PATENTS 564,663 11/ 32 Germany.

DON A. WAITE. Primary Examiner. 

1. A MAGNETIC BELT TRAINER COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A MULTI-PLY CONVEYOR BELT HAVING INCORPORATED BETWEEN THE PLIES A CENTRALLY ARRANGED SERIES OF NARROW, ELONGATED FLEXIBLE STRIPS OF CLOSELY SPACED, LONGITUDINALLY ALIGNED, MAGNETICALLY RESPONSIVE MATERIAL EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF THE BELT, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE BELT IN ITS TRAVEL, SAID BELT BEING LATERALL UNCONFINED, AND MAGNET MEANS OF A WIDTH COMPARABLE WITH THAT OF THE STRIPS AND FIXEDLY SUPPORTED INDEPENDENTLY BELOW AND CLOSELY RELATED TO THE UNDER SURFACE OF THE BELT, WHEREBY DURING TRAVEL OF THE BELT, SAID STRIPS WILL TEND TO PASS IN PREDETERMINED RELATION TO THE MAGNET MEANS THROUGH ITS MAGNETIC FIELD, THEREBY TENDING TO MAINTAIN THE BELT FROM DEVIATION FROM A FIXED PATH OF TRAVEL. 